When Jim Henson died in 1990, he had already negotiated a deal to sell his beloved Muppet characters to the Disney Corporation, feeling that a large brand-driven company could keep the Muppet movies alive while he took a break to focus on more creative and strange, ambitious projects. Disney has been running hot and cold with the Muppets ever since, making several notable hit movies, but also more forgettable TV specials and a few TV series. two of which bombed spectacularly.

Making movies with the Muppets, Disney learned, requires a delicate balance. Kermit the Frog is an innocent, honest character, devoid of cynicism, but the Muppets have always possessed an element of self-awareness. The original The Muppet Show, after all, was half variety program with singing/dancing Muppet performers and half backstage drama with fussy Muppet actors and overwrought Muppet masters. Most of the Muppet films have referred to their status as a theater troupe, and many Muppet stories stem from the backstage drama between its members.

However, three of the existing Muppet films took a new, interesting tack with the core concept of the franchise. "The Muppet Christmas Carol," "Muppet Treasure Island" and "The Muppets' Wizard of Oz" treated the troupe as mere repertory players, dealing with film versions of classic literature. In A Christmas Carol, for example, Kermit was played by Bob Cratchit. In Treasure Island, he was Captain Smollett. In The Wizard of Oz, he was the Scarecrow.

This is an ingenious approach to the Muppets, as they are malleable enough to exist in any great work of literature. Also, the audience gets to see their range as Muppet performers; Kermit is, after all, a thespian. It's a shame the franchise only did it three times, though, as there were so many wonderful works of classic light that could have been remade into Muppet productions.

Then it's a fun time to theorize. What piece of classic literature would make great Muppet movie adaptations? Here are some suggestions: